This article was taken from the June 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.

Wired slices and dices with sleek and sophisticated cutting implements

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How we tested

We assessed five knives for chefs and cooks on performance and design. We asked professional sushi chefs Makiko Sano (below, author of Sushi Slim, published by Quadrille) and Piotr Grzybczak to use each knife to fillet a piece of 1.2m/7kg salmon. We measured the time it took to do so, and how easily it separated a salmon from its head. The chefs also assessed ease of use, durability and build quality.

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Both our chefs liked its reassuring heft, along with a solid grip that felt the most comfortable of all five knives we tested. It cut the head off the salmon very smoothly and felt effortless when preparing sashimi. The choice of our professionals.

Wired: <span class="s2">Gorgeous; functional

Tired: <span class="s2">Eye-watering price

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Our sushi chefs thought that the ZWILLING has one of the most comfortable handles, although Makiko Sano thought it felt "wobbly when cutting off a salmon head". It also doesn't slice cleanly, so although it might be good for basic kitchen tasks such as chopping fruit and vegetables, it's not ideal for larger cuts of fish and meat.

A popular all-steel design, Global's knife impressed with its sharpness, "and there wasn't a need to apply too much pressure when cutting," adds Sano. It cuts sashimi very thinly and cleanly, and the chefs commented that it feels safe to hold, even with wet hands. A good choice for a practical, everyday kitchen knife.

This novel design by Mia Schmallenbach comes as a set of four, with a 9cm paring knife, 23cm carving knife and 15cm utility knife - but we focused on its 20cm chef's knife in our test. Our chefs thought that the knife was slippery and uncomfortable, and they couldn't control how thick they wanted to slice, nor could they judge where they were slicing due to the design, which has a large hole in the middle.

The manufacturer claims this knife, made from Martensitic stainless steel, will stay sharper for longer. It features a curvaceous handle that feels solid and easy to grasp, though the sushi chefs felt that it might not be comfortable to hold for long periods. It does cut well, considering its low price, but it did wobble a little when chopping through bone.

Straight: formed by grinding the edge so it tapers in a straight line. It is best suited to cutting raw meat, slicing salmon and chopping vegetables.

Granton: the hollowed-out sections running along both sides of the blade edge fill with the fat and juices when cutting meat, allowing for very thin slices.

Serrated: the teeth are designed for cutting soft products with a harder outer surface (such as bread), while preventing the soft interior from tearing.

Hollow-ground: the concave sides taper to an ultra-thin cutting edge, making this edge suited to fine tasks such as peeling fruit or chopping sushi.

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Tobatron

Make the cut: how to prepare a fish 1. Lay your fish out. Stroke your knife blade along one side of the spine. Using the flat of the knife, release the fillet by stroking the blade over the bones. Flip and repeat.

2. Lay your fillet skin-side down. Work your blade between the fillet and skin at one end. Hold the skin flap, pull it taut and push the blade through to the other end of the fish.

3. Your skinless, sushi-grade fish is now ready to be made into sashimi. Cut it vertically into slices about 1cm thick. They should show off the attractive grain of the fish flesh.